Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Mist ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Started 12/01/2007 Completed 12/01/2007

Chapter 2

Cologne placed the telephone back on its cradle, a look of sorrow in her eyes. “This bodes ill,” she muttered to herself.

Shampoo bounced into the kitchen wondering why she hadn't received any orders for the last several minutes. “What you do, Hiba-chan, customers waiting for noodles.” Shampoo tapped her foot petulantly and crossed her giving a cute pout.

It took all she not to laugh at her descendant's antics. “Shampoo you do this old woman's bones good,” Cologne complimented. “You and Mr. Part-time will have to run the restaurant by yourselves for a while, I must go to speak with Kasumi on a matter of urgency.”

Shampoo's shoulders slumped. “But why? Shampoo no like be with Mu Tsu. Would rather cut hair and lick Akane butt!”

“Hohoho,” Cologne chortled a sound like leaves rustling. “I'm sorry to keep you away from Akane's butt, but I really do need to speak with Kasumi.

Shampoo almost choked at the thought of getting together with Akane. If not for the Kitchen Destroyer's bloodline, she would have been a perfect partner. Shampoo cleared her throat, forcing away the growing lump in her throat. “Shampoo no here for Akane, Hiba-chan; here for Airen, maybe come get Akane later, though…” the purple-tressed Warrior Maiden walked from the kitchen and snatched Mousse by the back of his head and dragged him to the kitchen, leaving him to perform his male duties.

Cologne shook her head with disbelief. She had meant her earlier comment about Akane as a joke, but apparently, you can take an Amazon from the Village, but you can't take the Village from the Amazon.

 

Kasumi watched as her `father' bawled about Ranma being a tramp and sleeping around on his “… Baby girl, Akane!” She shook her head, finding her life here that much more annoying.

“CHIYAH!!” came a thundering voice, filled with anger and rage from in the dojo. CRUNCH!

What no one but Kasumi and a few on the Elder Council knew was that the Tendo Matriarch had died while defending her house and eldest daughter from a pair of Amazons, needing a place to gather information. It was only five years ago that she, herself, had taken Azusa Tendo's life. Originally she and her partner, Perfume, were supposed to kill a mother and daughter and replace them by use of Jusenkyo water.

Things had turned south when Azusa displayed Amazon-level skill with a naginata, running Perfume through while her pathetic coward of a husband scraped and begged for the two women to show mercy and let his daughters and wife go free, even go so far as to offer himself in exchange (as if a male was worth the death of two females).

After lopping off Azusa's head and applying potion #23 to the district's water supply, causing all who knew Azusa to forget how she died and have hazy memories of the time when she was around a year prior.

Kasumi gave a cheery smile and mopped away Soun's tears, then lead the man to sit out on he porch. “Don't worry, Otou-san, I'm sure Ranma will come back tonight.”

Soun nodded his head, believing in the words of his daughter. “Oh, Kasumi-chan! Warruh ahhh hrwur wee!!!” His gibbering was attributed to Kasumi holding a cloth over his mouth, laced with chloroform. Soun was out like a light and she set about cleaning the family room, again.

“TO-RYAH!” CRASH!

Nabiki descended the stairs and ignored the snoozing form of her father, instead walking over to her sister and standing directly in front of her, hands on hips and glaring pointedly.

“Oh, Nabiki-chan! Dinner won't be ready for another two hours,” Kasumi greeted, her blissful smile never wavering; thank the Ancestors for the Soul of Ice, she had needed it everyday of her stay here.

“Don't you `Oh, Nabiki' me, Nee-chan,” Nabiki gesticulated. She pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and held it in front of Kasumi's face. “Do you know what this is?”

“Oh my, yes!” Kasumi enthused, taking the sheet of paper in hand. “It says it's a phone bill.” She pointed to the words `phone bill'. “It's right here, Imouto-chan. Is there anything else you need?” Kasumi inquired ignoring the facefaulted Nabiki as she walked around her and headed for the kitchen.

Nabiki sat there, twitching, for several long moments before she gathered herself and went in after her sister. “Kasumi,” she groaned. “This says you've three international calls last month! Three! Who do you know that was in China?”

Kasumi placed a hand over her mouth. “Oh, My! You're right Nabiki-chan, I did.” Nabiki nodded her head and waited for her sister to continue, feeling a victory in the making. “I called a phone operator hoping to speak with Ranma. She gave me the number to Jusenkyo Valley's Guide Hut, the village of Joketsuzoku and the Musk Prince, Herb's number,” Kasumi broke off with a light smile on her face. “Prince Herb sure sounded like he enjoyed cooking with lady friends.”

“They have phones? You spoke to Herb? No, never mind,” Nabiki interrupted, before her sister could begin. “That's a headache I don't need to hear; well at least I found out who was responsible for the high phone bill…” Nabiki muttered as she drifted out of the kitchen.

“If I didn't know any better I would think you enjoy the family life, Conditioner.” Kasumi whirled, coming face to face with her close friend and the only Maiden she had been in contact with that knew who she actually was.

“Oh, My! Cologne-san, I'm so glad to see you,” Kasumi remarked. Cologne was one of the only people she enjoyed putting on her Kasumi show for; the others being Ranma and Dr. Tofu.

Cologne chortled; it made an old woman feel good when she was actually welcomed, rather than being rebuked. “Why thank you, Kasumi-chan. But now that I am here, you must understand that we are being pressed for time.”

Kasumi's smile did not wan as she put several pots to the stove and began chopping vegetables, preparing dinner for her family…

 

Kiima sat in the throne room, surrounded by silk curtains that draped in the most beautiful of ways. On her knee was a bouncing baby Saffron, giggling when she would make faces and coo in Seagull to him.

“That's a good boy, Saffy-chan,” A deep voice cooed from behind Kiima's shoulder. An arm reached around Kiima's waist and tickled the small baby with golden wings.

Kiima had frozen up the moment she realized her vulnerability; where were the guards? Despite the feeling of nakedness she got when someone snuck up behind her, Kiima couldn't shake the feeling that she knew this person. Slowly, ever so cautiously, Kiima turned her head to meet lips with Ranma as he cooed to Saffron. Kiima blushed and quickly leapt away. “R-Ranma?” she gasped breathlessly.

Ranma spread his arms out, displaying his state of unarm, “In the flesh. I came by to check out how you were doing and to ask a favor of you.”

Kiima narrowed her eyes suspiciously and cradled baby-Saffron just a bit more protectively, an action not lost to Ranma. “Isn't it enough that you destroyed Jusendo?”

Sweatdrops adorned the back of Ranma's head. “I didn't Saffy-chan did, besides that's not what I'm here about,” Ranma tried, hoping she wouldn't be as blind as the rest of the Earthrealm woman he knew.

Kiima thought for a moment and realized that it technically was Saffron who caused all the damage by trying to hit Ranma with his most devastating blasts. “So what is it that you want?”

Ranma sent his Ki-senses to maximum, seeking even the shallowest of breaths and the faintest of heartbeats for a mile round. Not for the first time, he wished he had taken up Shang Tsung on his offer to teach him scry-detection spells. Using Seagull, one of the billions of languages that he had picked up when joining alliances with Shao Kahn. <I need to have the unswerving allegiance of the Phoenix Nation. There is a threat coming very soon that cold mean the end of the world as you know it.>

Kiima was taken aback, twice. <Since when were you able to speak Seagull?> Kiima questioned, feeling almost taken advantage of as she had been telling Saffron some private thoughts she had of the warrior who beat the Phoenix-god.

Ranma smirked, waving a hand dismissively. “Don't worry about it, it's one of my many secrets,” Ranma informed her, switching back to Japanese. “Nod if you can do this for me.”

Kiima stared disbelievingly at Ranma. “Why would you need-“ She was cut off by Ranma as he placed a finger over his lips. She nodded, following his gaze to a darkened corner. <Oh, Saffron, my Lord, you are going to grow up to be the greatest ruler the Universe has ever seen. I'd be willing to bet that the Humans would be able to travel the stars within this lifetime and then you can show yourself to be the greatest warrior of our Universe,> Kiima cooed to Saffron, making the child giggle in delight at her words.

When Kiima looked up to see if Ranma thought the area safe to speak in, she realized he was no longer there.

“Lady Kiima,” Masara called, rushing into the room, sword drawn and at the ready. “I felt a Landling's Ki, have you seen anyone?”

Koruma closed the door and sealed it with a large log. “My Lady, Lord Saffron, I am glad that you two are well, I could feel the Ki of a Human, but it felt familiar in some way,” he explained, drawing his short sword.

Kiima looked to the two guards and wondered if it were possible another Human had gotten in, because Ranma's Ki had been held in check for the entire time he was here. “Are you certain you felt a Human Ki?” Both nodded. “Was it Ranma's, or someone else?”

“I think it was Ranma's…” Masara mused, holding a hand to his chin in thought.

“So, you felt it too, My Lady?” Koruma asked, having faith in Kiima.

Kiima walked back to her place a the foot of the throne and began to sing an ancient Seagull song, <We are the mightiest, the masters of the sky. Sure the Eagles can soar higher and faster, but can they travel the water? Can they travel the waters? We are the Seagulls, the mightiest, the masters of the sky. We command the winds and fly over the dead air, traveling the world over! Traveling the world over!>

Saffron clapped his hands in delight and laughed in merriment.

Koruma and Masara shook their heads, trying to clear the sensation usually associated with flying; yet they always felt it when around Kiima.

“We are men!
We must be swift as a coursing river,
We are men!
With all the force of a great typhoon,
We are men!
With all the strength of a raging fire,
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon!” Ranma's voice rang through the room, booming with energy as he drifted further away.

 

Kitana and Jade entered the meeting chamber both covered with a thick, brown cloak. “Thank you for meeting me here,” Kitana began, Jade broke away from her close friend and positioned herself at an angle to the entryway.

Dim candles poorly lighted the meeting room, but you could easily make out the figures of the two predominant races. On one side were three Shokan, a race believed to be half-Human, half-Dragon; each member having four arms with three fingers each and nearly four-times the muscle of the average Human, with red eyes and bad tempers. The other race were the Centaurs, a race with every bit the muscle of a Shokan, but had the body of a Horse with the upper section of a man; with Ram horns on his head and a long, deadly tail.

“If not for the necessity of this meeting, I would have you head as I swam in your blood, Xenethos,” warned a Shokan male, from the looks of him he commanded the utmost respect from the other Shokan.

Xenethos, a Centaur, crossed his arms over his massive chest and loomed over the gathered Shokan and Centaur, he hadn't earned the title Destroyer by being a weakling. “You wouldn't have my head if you brought an army against me, Halfling.”

“Please, Prince Goro, Commander Xenethos, we need not to fight amongst ourselves, we have a much greater enemy, one that has the potential to lay low both of your kingdoms on his own,” Kitana warned, drawing all arguments to a close.

Goro sneered at Kitana, believing such a threat with a grain of salt. “Tell us why you believe such a threat to be true, Princess of Edenia?”

Xenethos turned to regard the princess as well, his superior eyes allowing him to see through the dim lighting as if it were high noon. “Yes, Lady Kitana, why should we believe such absurd tales?”

“Maybe,” a voice called from the shadows, his form obscured even to Centaur and Shokan eyes. “Because it's true?”

Kitana went pale, a bad expression, even by Shokan standards. What could bring such a reaction to a woman who lived with the cruelest bastard in all the known realms?

“Ranma…?”

“Mist,” the ninja corrected, stepping into the visible spectrum.

Kitana withdrew her combat fan and slashed at his throat, planning to take his head from his neck.

Mist caught the fan and twisted it several shapes before she could think to withdraw her arm. “I can't believe how easy it was to get in here,” Mist commented as he strolled through the room.

For the first time the room's inhabitants realized they had very little motor function, the only thing they were able to move freely was their neck. “Who are you, Human?”

Mist withdrew a container of small white eggs. “Are any of you aware of what these are?”

“They're eggs, you nitwit!” Xenethos boomed.

Goro, despite his hatred on Centaurs, laughed at the blank expression in Mist's eyes. “The Human doesn't even realize what he's holding! Maybe he thought they were some manner of weapon!”

Mist turned a harsh look at the gathered. “I just realized that you don't realize what these are. I suppose that can be expected of brainless brawlers like yourselves.” Ranma ignored the sound of growling and cursing. “These are Imprinting Eggs, they're used y the Phoenix-god, Saffron, to turn his enemies into his most devote followers, wanna see how they work?”

Without waiting for an answer, Ranma threw three eggs, each landing on a different person. In their stead were three enormous eggs, large enough hold full grown Centaur. Mist approached the first and cracked the shell open. Sheeva, the female Shokan that was sealed in it, gazed into Mist's eyes and asked, “What can I do for you my Master?”

Mist turned to gaze at the assembled. “Who's next?”

 

Baraka howled to the moon far in the sky and was mimicked by those of his people. He was the ruler of this realm and all chose to follow him. As he lead the multitude into the third verse, a rope wrapped around his neck and he was dragged into the shadows where his screams could be heard by all.

From the shadows a ninja in red on black emerged, carrying the head of Baraka. “I am Mist, you will serve me as I command you to,”

There were murmurs passed through the Tarkatans; in all of their history they had served Baraka. Seeing as Baraka was easily beaten by this man, they shrugged their concerns away and pledged their loyalty to Mist.

 

 

LWH (laarcae@laarcae.com)